For many years, information and ideas have been primarily distributed using print media such as books and periodicals. Printed publication of content has been associated with a formal and well-defined process that includes authoring, editing, proofing, and other preliminary steps of revision and refinement intended to reduce any chances for error in the permanent, published copies of the content.
With the widespread use of the Internet and other communications technologies, however, it has become possible to distribute large, coherent units of media, such as books and periodicals, using electronic technologies. Although the information in such media is often intended to be relatively static, in many cases it is quite easy to revise electronically distributed content. In some cases, content can even be revised after its distribution, by automatically providing updates to electronic devices upon which the content is consumed.
Although the nature and capabilities of content distribution are changing, the electronic publication process often continues to follow the same procedures that were used in the publication of printed media.